South Haven police release name of man who drowned Saturday in 'brutal' conditions

SOUTH HAVEN -- The man who drowned Saturday at South Haven's South Beach was 45-year-old Martin Jordan, of Saint Charles, Ill, police said.

Following a 10-minute rescue effort, Jordan was pronounced dead at South Haven Community Hospital at 7:20 p.m., according to a news release from the South Haven Police Department.

"It was beyond brutal, it really was," Rod Somerlott, South Haven police chief, said of the Lake Michigan water conditions and the powerful rip currents Saturday.

Jordan went into the water to save his two children from rip currents. Both children survived and were unharmed, said Ronald Wise, fire chief for South Haven Area Emergency Services.

The 6:30 p.m. dispatch was the third call of the day for South Haven emergency responders to rescue swimmers. The first two incidences were resolved before rescue workers arrived.

Eight officers entered the water during the attempted rescue of Jordan. Even trained rescue workers were strained by the strong currents off the South Pier, said Wise, who was among rescue workers who went into the water.

"It was just horrendous out there," Wise said. "Our rescuers going into the water were just totally exhausted after going out. ... It was probably one of the most difficult rescues that we've had to do in a long time."

If caught in a rip current, swimmers should swim parallel to the shore rather than fighting the current head on, Wise said.